Wish We Had Time
by Xantall of the Farwood
Summary: While in a collapsing base Jazz remembers his last few hours with Driftback before the base. (Better World universe)


**Wish We Had Time**

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><p>The base rumbled as a bomb ripped through another wall. Jazz coughed trying to clear his vents from the settling dust. The saboteur pressed his back against a crumbling wall. Trying to move he hissed. Looking down he could see the main line in his side was severed. He tipped his head back laughing.<p>

"Figures the way this mission was going." He grinned only a few hours ago he was side by side with the little seeker femme that Ratchet was always dotting over.

_Jazz laughed as he grabbed the little red femme and pulled her away from Tracks. The flashy mech was lying on his back covering his helm curled up in a fetal position. She kicked out a heel thruster scrapping his paint down to the gray._

"Hey cool the temper." He laughed holding on to her.

"That pit slagging pervert rubbed my wings!" She roared causing more that the gathered group to look at her. The Autobots knew the femme had a short temper especially when it came to Tracks. No one had even known why she would glare and nearly snarl when even the flashy mech was near. A few of the bots on the outskirts of the room got to their peds including Ironhide; who started making his way through the group of bots.

Jazz's laughter stopped dead as he turned her around. He wasn't much taller than the femme but his bulk gave him the advantage to contain the furious seeker. Jazz tried to look her in the optic but between their visors no one but them knew if he was able to. He studied her for a moment. He knew how sensitive seekers were about their wings and what any more than an accidental touch could be implying. "What did he do?" The words came out low almost growling. She turned her head to the side. Suddenly seeming to realize she said it out loud. "Driftback."

She bit down on her lower lip component before pulling away from the mech. Driftback glared down at the mech on the floor. He was just starting to get back up. Her wings nearly vibrated from anger but she had to think. The Autobots need the soldiers and even if she hated the mech he was a good shot. She snorted before hauling back and kicking him in the chassis flipping him over onto his back.

"Just forget about it." She snapped venom still in her voice then she was gone from the room.

"Driftback!" Ironhide yelled after her.

Jazz looked down at the mech. He quickly sent a message to Prowl before laying a hand on the old bot's shoulder. "I'll get her." He said waiting for the glare from Ironhide than a curt nod before the red mech turned to Tracks. Jazz followed after the seeker as klick later. He always questioned if she had a battle computer like Prowl. She made decisions that were always best for everyone else; always forgetting that she should include herself in those calculations. It wasn't moments before he caught up to her. Catching her wrist Jazz leaned back until between the two they were stopped. Driftback didn't look at him. She pulled against his grip but not enough to break it.

"Look at me." He coaxed grinning pulling on her wrist. The seeker stubbornly didn't move just tug at her wrist. "Come on Drift."

Jazz let go of her wrist and she stumbled forward. He slipped around in front and caught her. Driftback's servos landed on his chassis above his spark with her head between them. She looked up as he grinned down at her.

"You're enjoying this." She grumbled resting her helm against him between her servos.

"Well now I am." He answered dropping his servos to her hips.

"Really?"

"I got ta take the chance when I can."

Driftback snorted back a laugh grinning against him. Her shoulders shook as she laughed pushing away from him. "I think Prowl would be jealous." She added as his hands slipped off her with an extra squeeze.

"Aw Prowler would understand." Driftback raised and optic ridge crossing her arms over her plates. She grinned at something behind the black and white mech.

"I'll understand what?"

Jazz spun around and smiled at the calm black and white mech. He put a hand on her hip and pulled her closer. "Just that Drift and I are going to make a couple of sparklings."

"I would advise against that. The war would make it difficult to raise said sparklings." Prowl answered tapping away on a data pad. Driftback covered her face with a servo hiding her laughter as Jazz grin spread.

"True but they would _be very good looking sparklings."_

_Prowl looked up for a moment. He scanned over Jazz then Driftback and his door wings twitched. "Yes they would."_

Jazz was jolted from his memories by another explosion. He could hear the sounds of running peds. The strides were steady and coming closer. He lifted his arm and pointed his weapon at the incoming sound. Jazz figured this might actually be the end. He smiled slightly. At least he told Driftback the truth when they were setting the charges.

_Driftback looked over his shoulder as he explained the wiring and the timing mechanism. Jazz leaned back and looked up at her smiling. Shaking her head _she stood up rolling her shoulder struts.

"This is stupid. I should have been trained properly first." Driftback said flipping up her visor to rub at her optics. Jazz stared as she looked back towards him gold optics studying the device again. He knew the amount of trust she had in him by allowing him to see her optics. He, Prowl and only a few others ever saw her actual optics. They flicked back and forth running over the workings of it. He reached up taking a hold of her servo. She looked at him as he pulled her down next to him.

"Jazz what are you…" She started before he leaned in touching his lips to hers. Driftback pulled back her optics narrowing. "That's not funny." She went put her visor back down but he stopped her.

"It's not a joke." He said carefully trying not to scare her away.

She sighed and rolled her optics. "Of course it is. You and Prowl…"

"Have talked about it. We know that seekers do everything in three." He rubbed at a spot on her wrist that always seemed to hurt her. "That's why seekers find it had to find a bonded among us lowly ground pounders." He cracked a smile but Driftback just kept staring at him as if he was a Decepticon. "I know it's strange for a bonded pair to accept someone else but we want you to think it over. We want to at least try."

"Jazz…" She went to say more but it died as she began to think it over.

"Come on we have a base to blow_ than we can go back to our base and talk about it. The three of us." He flicked her visor down as she smiled._

A flare of red drew Jazz's attention back to the present. Around the corner skidded a scratched up lithe seeker femme. She stopped and snapped her helm from one side to the other. Jazz lowered his weapon.

"Drift, what are you doing here?"

"Primus Jazz." She bolted to his side and skidded the last bit on her knees. The screech of metal and sparks made him wince. Driftback was immediately trying to stop the flow of energon from his side. Her small hands worked around the wound but he caught one and pulled her up to look at him. "Let go you glitch head! I have to stop…"

Jazz crushed her lips to his. She fought for a moment coolant tears streaming from her optics before she wrapped her bloody servos around him. He finally released her hand and gripped at her waist holding the seeker close. They spent only a few moments locked together before Jazz separated them. He held her chin stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"You need to go, kid." He said slowly. She shook her helm. "This isn't an argument. I'll cover your retreat."

"No." Driftback said putting a servo over his spark. "You have to get back to Prowl. The Autobots need the two of you. If you offline here…Prowl…Prowl will…He will…." She shook her helm again fighting back the cracking in her vocalizer. "I can't let that happen you two are officers; both worth more than some disposable solider."

For the first time ever Jazz gave her a glare. His servo tightened on her chin and held her in place to look him dead in the optics. "Never say that!" He snapped making sure she understood. "A life is a life. No matter their status no one is worth more than anyone else. And you are far from disposable."

"Then why do I have to go." She snapped. Confusion and utter loss vibrated though her as she held his one shoulder.

Jazz's expression softened and he pulled her helm close to touch his forehead to hers. "Because I'm an officer and I'm giving you an order." He cracked a smile. "Also my legs are shot." He kissed her one last time before pushing her away from him.

"Jazz…" She said standing looking at him.

He could see her again as the young seeker he had seen on the Decepticon ship. Lost, confused and frightened by the mech before her. He had been under cover as Meister snooping around when he found her. Jazz had felt his spark leap then and it was doing the same now as she stood before him. "I'm an old bot and we are changing the world. So let this outmode do something impressive for a pretty femme."

"Ratchet and Hide are old you just have a little wear."

Jazz chuckled. "At least I won't be the one to face them for permission to date you."

Driftback huffed a laugh through her tears and swooped in close to kiss him gently. She leaned away so her lips were just a whisper away. "I'm not sure if you and Prowl were my spark mates but I know I love you both and I wish we had the time to try."

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><p><strong>AN:** _So for those reading __**Better World**__ it will be starting up soon but this is actually an outtake from the prequel (__**Seeker Rising**__) that stalled __**Better World. **__I should be back on track in a few days. There will be edits done on it because it had gone completely off track._


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